Stamping Press Scheduling With Optessa

Problem

Stamping press scheduling can be a complex and time consuming task. For example, an in-house stamping plant for an auto OEM consists of two press lines, with 34 dies that produced about 80 distinct parts. These parts are stored on over 250 racks of distinct 37 rack types that hold inventories upwards of 3400+ parts per rack type. Production cycle times vary by part and every die / part change on a press requires setup time. Rack availability is a constraint. The OEM assembly schedule determines when and how many stamped parts are required.

Legacy Schedule

The previous scheduling process relied on a very large and elaborate spreadsheet. It took a scheduler a day just to create a week’s schedule. The manual schedule consistently failed to meet all the requirements specified above.

Optessa Schedule

For the same problem, Optessa MLS was able create a 2+ weeks schedule that resulted in good part batches (run of the same part) and fewer die change overs, while maintaining part inventories within policy min/max levels, satisfying the rack constraint and meeting the deliveries required by OEM assembly schedule. The chart below shows the Optessa schedule for one high runner part with the saw tooth pattern for projected inventory, which indicates a good schedule.

This scheduling approach is also applicable to other high volume parts production; such as, machining, die-casting and injection molding.